Dark Fantasy with a Diverse Edge

When I was in middle school, I was the recipient of a sucker punch. All I remember was that I was trying to talk my way out of being in a gang and “Wham”, one of the girl’s punched me in my face. I came “to” in darkness, surrounded by middle school feet on the floor. Suprisingly enough, my animal instinct kicked in and I was clutched hold to the girl’s hair. I tried to wrench every strand from the top of her head. It was gruesome for both of us. I’d imagine that some 28 years later that she’d be bald on one side . Certainly, a tragedy for both of us.

My point, she was just as suprised as I was when my instinct took over and self-preservation kicked-in. The blonde girl in Sucker Punch was the recipient of a sucker punch but instead of falling down like a wilting flower she fought back with all the weapons that she had at her disposal. It was a nasty battle for survival against sexual assault, abuse, and oppression.

Can you tell that I loved this movie?

It wasn’t a happy movie and although she used martial arts it’s not a movie for machismo either. In fact, most guys probably won’t like it because men were not the heroes in the story–theywere the oppressors. Taking a racial analysis, I’d say that the blonde woman was fighting back in a way that wasn’t the usual type cast. She used her sexuality as a weapon figuratively and literally.

It probably made a lot of people uncomfortable.

Why? Because it was about the need for survival under horrific circumstances. The odds were not only stacked high but unattainable. And rightly so, in cases of sexual abuse, no one escapes without scars. But isn’t that what it’s like for survivors of molestation, rape, and sexual assault? There’s no coming back from that form of victimization. What I love about Sucker Punch is that they used a sexy, blonde girl, the symbol of beauty for the world, as the Trojan horse.

She dug deep inside to not be the dumb blonde who falls down in the horror movie. Not only did she stand up but she was fighting like Rambo, John Connor, Aragorn with her team of butt kicking sisters.

People will probably have problems with this movie because the tri-level symbolism gives us a glimpse of what goes on inside the mind of a victim of sexual molestation and assault but it’s not the glimpse that we’re used to… In fact, it’s raw determined, violent, and homicidal. If that wasn’t enough, the gaming type animation was intense with her fighting for dear life like Mortal Kombat but it was real!

My kinda movie. It’s totally the kind of thing that I read and write. I give this movie a ten for plot, animation, and acting. This movie is macabre enough to win big awards but serious enough to makeus all dig deep and view the world from the eyes of a victim of sexual abuse.

“You have all the weapons you need… Now Fight!”

If you’ve seen Sucker Punch or are going to see it, leave me comment. If you’ve read the reviews and have some thoughts feel free to share.